A/N: Hello once again, Audience.
We're steadily approaching the end of what CM and I have written! I keep meaning to poke her about doing some more roleplay on this story, just because it's so much fun, but both she and I work and it's harder to sync our schedules nowadays.
Not much else to say.
Ciao for now!~
Symbols Guide:
* : Written by CM; She writes for Akari and Hiei
3 : Written by Star (supposed to be the 'heart' symbol, but FF doesn't like the 'less-than' sign, so it's a 3 instead); She writes for Shikiyoku and Youko/Kurama
~!**!~ : A universal transition between scenes or characters, sometimes used to indicate a passage of time, but most often used to transition between major scenes that are happening. As the story progresses, this will evolve into mainly separating the (usually two) scenes happening between authors/characters.
As a general rule, anything in italics is thoughts.
Unless it's used in a sentence like this, which merely indicates emphasis.
(Words in italics and within parenthesis is dialogue between Hiei and Shikiyoku via the bond between them after Hiei becomes Shikiyoku's Consort. As soon as the 'thought' occurs, it can pass between them, and does not actually have to be formed into exact words-feelings and sensations can pass through as well-in order to be picked up and the meaning translated immediately by the other. For the sake of the coherence by the reader, words and sentences are used as normal. It cannot be picked up by telepathy.)
"Quotations are usually reserved specifically for telepathic dialogue being transmitted from one being to another, but sometimes this can also mean a character isn't being careful about what they're thinking and anyone with telepathy in the nearby vicinity can listen in without taking any effort."
The only exception to that last rule is for the Shiba Inu dog, Nabu. All of his "spoken" dialogue will be in italics and quotations, but is communicated through body language or dog-like noises, so unless a character is able to translate those they are unlikely to pick up on what he is saying any more than the average person might understand his general moods like aggression (bared teeth, ears back) or excitement (wagging tail).
The Nabu Exception also applies to anyone when they are in an animal form, if the dialogue is in italics and quotations, unless stated otherwise.
Previously on Yu Yu Hakusho!
Rikei, Iketeru, and even Mukuro
work semi-frantically to stabilize Shikiyoku's condition,
after she dropped to the floor in her training room,
a short in the electrical systems she wore
forcing out nearly half of her life energy
as she danced attempting to rid herself of the active Crusnik.
Hours later, when Mukuro calls Hiei away
from the meeting in which Hiei had been stuck,
Hiei comes into the science lab to see Shikiyoku
stuck floating in a large, see-through canister-like tank,
hooked up to various wires monitoring her condition.
When Mukuro confirms to Hiei that
'the promise has been fulfilled,'
Hiei takes a second look and notes that
it does appear as if Shikiyoku, currently in pain-form,
is not ravaged by the Crusnik as she once had been.
Meanwhile, Shikiyoku is trapped within the confines of her own mind,
unable to converse with Hiei via their bond,
but completely conscious.
Days pass,
and only a single blip on the monitor increases.
It is two weeks before Mukuro feels as if
the Kuraku can live outside the life-support tank,
and nearly a month later
before Mukuro announces intentions to releasing her.
Only Hiei's steady presence during the passage of time
has prevented Shikiyoku from going completely insane,
and she feels vulnerable and over-aware
as Mukuro drains the tank and Hiei steps forward to care for her.
Mukuro relieves Hiei then and there
of any other duties save attending to Shikiyoku,
and she apologizes to the Kuraku,
stating their contract has been fulfilled,
but Mukuro did not intend for half of Shikiyoku's
remaining life energy to be sacrificed to the cause.
As Hiei attends to Shikiyoku,
he talks with her nearly constantly through their bond,
trying to drive away the darkness that had settle in her mind
over the course of the month and a half she spent in the tank.
Being in pain form,
there is little Shikiyoku can do to reply,
so she merely rests in his arms
even as he gets her clean and takes her to their bed.
While they lay there positioned under the covers,
Shikiyoku notes once more Hiei's singularity as an individual,
his apparent loyalty,
and she promises him anything his heart desires
that is within her power to provide,
should he ever decide what his services to her are worth.
Several days passed by in the same way that that night had passed. Hiei had gone absolutely nowhere, laying under the covers with Shikiyoku and only moving for restroom trips or food, and even then prolonging any form of movement.
And it was a peaceful few days. The fire demon had nothing calling his attention, no duties to attend to, and Mukuro seemed to think that he was not necessary for anything within those four days.
And so they talked. Sometimes that talking lapsed into a comfortable silence where one would nap and the other would watch, Hiei himself occasionally finding himself playing with individual strands of Shikiyoku's hair until either she woke up or he himself fell into a dreamless sleep.
One of those days, that silence had become more pronounced, Shikiyoku's voice having given out due to disuse for such a long period of time. For a while, he hadn't known what to do to remedy that, so they had remained in that silence. Only when the Jagan babbled on about this form being more reserved than her other did he ask if she was comfortable to switch to her other form. Only then did the talking resume and the calm, quaint feeling of having to do absolutely nothing returned to him, reminding him that his only duty was to Shiki and her wellbeing.
But, really, he'd been waiting on that moment where the Demon of Rage would call upon him, would demand his presence and send him out on some errand or another that would accomplish the smallest task, but take most of his day, or even week. And so he wasn't really surprised when he felt the ringing in his head, waking him from an easy sleep and forcing his eyes open into the dark room. And even without windows, he knew there was no light yet to be seen outside.
He glanced over at Shikiyoku, whose expression was peaceful and indicative of dreamless sleep. He didn't want to move, didn't want to disturb her so early in the morning when she could sleep however long she so desired. Also, he didn't want to leave her by herself, and he did not want to leave her side for even a moment.
Duty calls.
The feeling of being called upon only sounded once more before Hiei began to slowly shift away, carefully removing himself from her embrace and only pausing when she shifted and made a sound of protest in her sleep. The Jagan made sure to quietly implant the message of him returning later that day, just before Hiei wrapped the layers about himself and let them carry him from one floor to the next. *
For Shikiyoku, it was funny how nothing else in the world mattered any longer, and had it not been for the fact that voice quickly wore out on more than one occasion, the thought of Hiei switching her back would not have occurred.
After all, where at one time she feared feeding upon him or losing herself to the directive of the Crusnik, now she simply sat-or rather laid-in pain form nearly content.
She realized how not-content she had been as soon as she was changed back though. The freedom of being fully connected to Hiei once more through their bond fulfilled a desire she had not realized she felt: to be closer to him.
A silly notion, since neither of them had been more than inches away from the other without just cause for several days.
With her able to once again converse with him on that level where thoughts transmitted themselves between them without fully forming into sentences that could be read by any telepathy, she could honestly say there was little else in the world she found herself wanting or needing.
As she always did when Hiei shifted away from her, Shikiyoku's lips mumbled something unintelligible as she frowned, uncomprehending in her sleep-state the message she had been left, but letting go of him as said message floated into her awareness and remained there, a warm collection of words that soothed her back, momentarily, into her sleep. 3
Hiei flitted from one floor to the next in a hasty manner, already having been summoned twice before he had begun to take action, and not really wishing to see the anger of the King he had been serving. He wasn't much a fan of the possibility of death.
It only took a second for the fire demon to traverse the fortress and land in the large office that belonged to Mukuro, the layers unfolding from around him and leaving him standing in the odd nothingness of her presence.
And he only waited, remaining silent. *
Mukuro sat deeply entrenched in the A.I. of the Mobile Fortress around her, simultaneously pathing out the coordinates that had just been transmitted to her as well as beginning the mobilization and organization of troops, fully aware of each and every being inside the fortress in those moments, the H.U.D. of her replaced eye feeding her information with a near franticness that suggested the velocity in which things were being set into motion.
Her remaining eye slowly opened to the almost empty, dim room around her, and she made no move to rise from where she sat crossed legged on the floor, her mortal hand absently reaching over to draw another cord from somewhere below her and attaching it into a receptor in her robotic thigh, almost immediately reaching over and running her fingers over a portion of her diagnostic receiver on her other arm as she regarded Hiei with her usual blank expression that accompanied her being so fully integrated into the systems of the Fortress.
"Your former comrade-in-arms is a most interesting individual, Gouka." She did not allow a pause for comment before continuing. "One of the spies sent into Raizen's territory was recently discovered and returned to us. In one piece. And with a message. The Mazoku wishes to...speak with us. With myself and Yomi. Nothing was said of the subject upon which he will be conversing, there was only a set of coordinates and nothing more."
Mukuro blinked.
"Besides the...obvious, any notion as to what Raizen's Champion might wish to say? As far as I am concerned, you are the one most closely associated with the former Spirit Detective and are fully aware of how volatile he can be." 3
Hiei's eyes remained on the demoness that sat on the floor, calmly gauging her presence, her expression, and making a very small attempt to guess as to why he was there. He had ideas about it, yes, and most of them revolved around the upcoming war that was to be waged, but other than that, he wasn't quite sure what else could have warranted this meeting.
So when the King mentioned who he could only know to be Yusuke, red eyes began to gleam as thoughts passed, most of them making up scenarios and some of them simple memories of fighting with said previous comrade. And as Mukuro went on, he realized that it was very Yusuke-like to send the spy back to their ruler, instead of killing said intruder for trespassing. Though, the in one piece part had Hiei thinking about his friend's temper, and how it should have at least come into play.
You have grown much, Detective.
Hiei thought of the location that the coordinates would lead to, realizing it would be to the edge of the territories where all could be on their own land and still speak, and finding that to be appropriate for the former detective of Spirit World. As for what announcement would be made, there wasn't much coming to mind.
In fact, Hiei had nothing on that front.
Because when had Yusuke ever planned things out?
Perhaps…
"Yusuke is impatient and impulsive." Yet it's clear this is not an actual battle cry. "He never was one for dragging out fights." Maybe a half-baked plot to get things moving faster. *
The Fortress' A.I. took account of Hiei's words and was quickly adding in the statements to the algorithms it was running in relation to attempting to decode what on new earth the ancestral son of Raizen might have up his proverbial sleeve.
Mukuro blinked again as more probability equations scanned past her brain.
"Noted. In any case, I have already set into motion both the mobilizing of the troops as well as beginning the trek across the lands for the coordinates provided. We will arrive there well ahead of the date proposed to us by the message." A pause. "Yomi will be there as well. Our spies within his walls have been informed that his army is already on the move, as I'm sure his spies here have likely relayed our own preparations to him."
Another pause as more numbers ran themselves across her eye.
"Normally, there are more than a few things that you would be required to oversee, but-" She released a small breath, "It is in fact nothing that I cannot do in your stead, given your...situation. My intention is for you to be on the ground when the time for fighting comes. I will not waste my time blasting through Yomi's troops unless he himself comes out for the fight." Her good eye flashed dangerously. "You will, however, keep me informed of the ground movements, High General."
As she had done with Shikiyoku before leaving the laboratory several days before, Mukuro implanted into Hiei a thought that was very nearly his own.
I do not expect communication between us to take any effort whatsoever.
"In fact, I will likely be looking through your Eye a vast majority of the time once the battle starts."
~!**!~
Sleep fast left her without Hiei's warmth. In fact, it left her just as quickly as the warmth faded, and her eyes slowly came open of their own accord.
While the lights in the room no longer bothered her when they flickered on, it had not stopped Hiei from the habit of flipping the covers over both of their bodies as if making their own private fort.
Pushing the blankets away and sitting up, Shikiyoku felt more strongly now being by herself the strange, blank, nothingness that had settled deep within her soul as an aftereffect of the way in which her healing had taken place. It made this odd sort of calm beyond calm wipe away every possible thought and left her feeling almost as if she were this emptiness, this non-being, immune to all senses that had not many days before been overloaded and painful to be aware of.
It was not peace, nor peaceful, but rather the absence of all things, and a foreign sensation indeed was it for her to be able to sit there and have absolutely nothing cross her mind, nor bubble up from somewhere in her consciousness.
And yet, she got up. She dressed herself, not acknowledging or considering the fact that she had laid there naked in Hiei's arms for days without either of them taking real note of the fact, and she left the room.
It was only after she stepped outside of the door that she blinked, and then suddenly twisted herself between the layers of the fortress, without hesitation walking steadily back to the steamy chamber Hiei first took her days before to cleanse her skin of the impurities of the gel she had been floating in.
With that same nothing to her, she watched Hiei's cloak at the bottom of the jacuzzi just in front of her, her eyes noting how the edges of it rippled and bubbled, but not registering the sounds of the agitated water or even the room in which she stood.
Emotionlessly, she drained the water from his private tub, stepping into it and retrieving his cloak, taking it to a drying system she caught sight of in the corner of the room, and returning to the tub to allow it to refill, picking up his boots and retrieving the cloak from the dryer, slipping back between the layers as she neatly folded with cloak with her free hand. 3
Hiei blinked slowly once, his countenance making no change with the revelation that Mukuro could utilize his Jagan of her own free will. And really, had Mukuro been speaking to anyone but Hiei at the moment, he almost would have thought that the message passed via telepathy had been his own thought, or even an afterthought to being reminded to keep the King informed.
And it was very unsettling when that was paired with the knowledge that his Jagan was able to be manipulated in such a way.
But he made no outward reaction to the revelation, and when he was dismissed, he let the layers wrap around him again and he flitted from one floor to the next, the Jagan providing the only sound in the early morning hours.
"Did I forget to tell you about that…? It's pretty painful and I feel very violated." There was a pause as Hiei let the layers unfold around him, leaving the fire demon in his and Shiki's bedroom. He eyed the empty bed and turned to move for the other room, deciding to wait on the couch for her.
"And people say I'm mean. Compared to her, I'm the most loving creature anywhere." *
As Shikiyoku blended back onto the Eighth Layer and into her and Hiei's rooms, her eyes softened as soon as she spotted him, moving out of their bedroom as if to sit on the couch, and the first emotion since leaving passed over her mind: a sort of fondness and contentment with being back in his presence once more.
She closed the distance between them and offered him both the boots and the cloak.
(Your things, fire-prince.)
Tilting her head back to look into his face as she extended the items towards him, the corners of her lips twitched as if to give a gentle smile. 3
To be frankly honest, Hiei had almost forgotten about his cloak and such that had been left behind, as he'd had no reason to wear them. After all, he'd been only inside these four walls since leaving the place they'd been left.
He stopped, allowing her to close the distance and offer the cloak and boots, his calm gaze meeting her content one. Even though his hands moved to accept the garments, his eyes remained locked, transfixed, on Shikiyoku's gleaming ones. Mesmerized, almost, as he looked down at her.
So when she moved to pass him by, his eyes followed, and a single thought passed:
You didn't kiss me. *
There had been a moment while Shikiyoku was looking up at Hiei that she almost stretched up onto the tips of her toes and planted a kiss on his cheek.
The instinct had passed, though, and she moved beyond him towards their bedroom, fully intending to return to the comfort of the soft sheets and assuming she could be accompanied by Hiei's comforting presence as well.
However, as she crossed the threshold into the other room, a tiny jolt fired through her body like it had not done in a long time, a sensation associated with a fierce desire that ran heated through her veins outwards from her core.
Without even having to consider it, said desire was revealed to her in the instant it occurred, and was really rather simple in nature: a kiss. One which she had just denied herself giving out, though one placed upon the lips instead.
That jolt made Shikiyoku's next step interrupted, paused, before her foot rested on the floor for a second and she turned her head to look over her shoulder as if there was someone else in the room from whom said desire might have stemmed.
No. Only Hiei.
He was the only other in the room, she realized as she kept going and made her way to the bed. And that meant...
It meant...
...wait what? 3
The previous thought very quickly diminished and changed into very thorough confusion, the fire demon suddenly unsure of what the heck to do. His eyelids closed to hide his irises, his thoughts turning to analyzing what had just occurred and why it happened.
Before now, he'd never thought of that without it having a specific purpose.
Hrm.
There wasn't much that came to mind on the anomaly.
The Jagan, however, had plenty to say. And most of it was ranting that he'd missed the perfect opportunity.
All of which he attempted to ignore as he took a few steps in the direction of the bedroom. *
A lifetime of instincts and abilities had given Shikiyoku the tools she needed to accurately analyze and act upon the desires of those around her, and it was almost as if she had forgotten such desires even existed somewhere while she floated in the abyss of her mind for weeks without end.
However, it was without a doubt the first time this sort of desire had come from Hiei, a desire related to a physical intimacy that he had up to this point viewed as more of a job than something that could be asked after or stolen. At least, that's how she had assumed he thought of the whole business. She had yet to really be proven wrong.
Until that moment.
Climbing into bed and letting herself collapse atop the covers, Shikiyoku attempted to return to that blank nothingness in which her mind had been before she returned to the room. 3
Hiei followed after Shikiyoku at a slower pace, his mind still trying to analyze the thought that had simply popped into existence, and still finding that he wasn't sure how it got there. Or, really, why it occurred.
He moved into the bathroom and made a point to set his cloak and boots upon the counter before he turned and moved to the bedroom again, crossing the floor silently and crawling onto the bed to get comfortable by Shikiyoku.
And almost instantly his brain switched gears.
(Yusuke called a meeting for the Kings. Says he has an announcement.) *
With Hiei so close, there was no chance of finding that weird state of mind, as she immediately found herself overwhelmed with relief at being near him.
Hiei's information had her raising an eyebrow.
(Oh?)
Interesting.
(And is it safe to assume that when Yusuke says "meeting," Yomi and Mukuro decide that they're preparing for a fight?) 3
There was the impression of a nod that filtered between their bond as Hiei got comfortable, laying on his back with his hands behind his head and eyes closing. (Both have troops ready for an attack.)
I'm not sure what he's up to.
(He sent one of Mukuro's spies back with the message to meet. Apparently without harm.) *
Shikiyoku let her eyes close as Hiei settled in.
"Mm."
(That seems very much like Yusuke. Granted, the only thing that might surprise me is if a would-be Kings didn't know exactly who was a spy among their number and who was not. It's all a game. What information do you allow the spy to stumble upon? How long do you let them live? Can you bribe them to double-cross? Being aware that the others know who your spies are and are likely hand-feeding them anything they relay…) She let out a big sigh, scooting closer until she was cuddled up against Hiei's side. The next words that formed across their bond were grumbling. (It's just like being in court all over again.) 3
(It's irritating.) I'd rather simply end it.
Hisi stayed quiet for a few moments, thinking about the former Spirit Detective and trying to unravel the puzzle of someone he hadn't actually seen in what felt like an eternity. So many things had happened, and keep happening, since he'd last actually spoken to the detective- or anyone other than Shikiyoku, for that matter.
…
(He better be ready for a fight should the wrong thing be said.) Though it may not have sounded like it, Hiei did feel a bit of concern for his comrade. *
(I have never known the great Yusuke Urameshi to be unready for a fight.)
Shikiyoku allowed her thoughts to muse upon the subject.
(Strange though, is it not, to be attempting some sort of parley? To my knowledge, the boy would rather let his fists do the talking.) 3
Again, Hiei sent the impression of a nod to Shikiyoku. He'd thought of that, and it actually seemed the best guess at this point in time. It also seemed the most like the detective, despite the fact that the boy rather enjoyed the fighting over the chattering.
(It will be interesting.) *
~!**!~
As Mukuro estimated, the Mobile Fortress actually made it to the coordinates much earlier than the designated time it was supposed to.
Using the outer ship's sensors, she watched as her troops began organizing themselves around the area, the fortress bunkering down just within the confines of her territory, a corner that backed up against both Yomi and Raizen's areas.
As she expected, Yomi had also arrived early, and she watched as his troops also began forming up despite the fact that Yusuke had actually intended his announcement to come much later. A day or two later, in fact.
Luckily for both would-be Kings, Yusuke was already present and within Raizen's territory, standing atop a rock formation that overlooked both of the other two camps, an obviously intentional choice on his part and one that Mukuro could not disagree with given that he apparently wished to talk with them.
Raizen was nowhere to be seen.
It did in fact take two days for Yomi and Mukuro's troops to be satisfactorily in place, but nearing the end of the second day, when Yusuke had yet to make an appearance on top of the rock since they all first arrived, troops on either side of the territories were growing restless.
Both Yomi and Mukuro's territories in this particular spot were out in the open, whereas besides the rock formation that jutted far into the sky, Raizen's territory in this area was covered with thick trees that denied either King view of who or what lay in wait for them. And neither were willing to send reconnaissance teams into the forest while this close to the others as the maneuver would be obvious.
Growing impatient, Mukuro finally revealed herself by standing atop the Mobile Fortress, looking down over her troops and both relaying and receiving messages from Hiei who was down among them.
One of her intelligence advisors stood nearby, and she had also chosen to request the Kuraku come out and stand with her so that all could see she had the support of the next in line for the throne.
Her appearance definitely cause for a stir among her own troops as Mukuro came out fully revealed to be the female she actually was, no longer hiding behind warded bandages, but standing in full view with her shackles in plain sight. She still continued to communicate with the fortress via her own robotics, grounding her consciousness deep within its systems so that she would not fly into a rage in her impatience.
Shikiyoku stood nearby as Mukuro tapped out instructions into her arm, a length of cord disappearing into the fortress beneath her feet, but the Kuraku appeared almost bored. It was all she could do to try and catch sight of Hiei as he moved along the lines of demons, choosing to withdraw from the bond as much as possible so that she would not distract him. And truthfully, she had that same nothingness resting over her soul as she found happening when not near him, so perhaps she was not so much bored as she was feeling nothing in those moments, merely looking out over the corners of the territory with a sort of distance from the situation afforded her by the absence of feelings.
Amusingly enough, both Rikei and Iketeru were standing on either side of her, and Nikolai himself, the white-haired demon who had so many times before escorted her to and from the labs, stood just behind Mukuro and would wink at her in good nature any moment in which their eyes met.
It was in one of those detached moments where Shikiyoku had lost sight of Hiei and was attempting to pick him out of the army below without aide of the bond that Shikiyoku realized an emptiness had come up next to her, the air near her blank and giving her no feedback whatsoever.
"Your scars. How did you come by them?"
Shikiyoku found it exceedingly strange that she could now associate the nothingness inside her with the absence of presence next to her that informed her without looking that Mukuro now stood at her side.
"The vast majority of the scars you saw upon my person are the direct result of my becoming the Second Kuraku. Or rather, I had to experience the pain associated with those scars in order to make the transition."
"Mm." The noise Mukuro made was an affirmative one of understanding. "And the ones at your back? The claw marks underneath the others?"
"Those scars, like the others you saw, saved my life."
Mukuro's chin dipped lower for a moment in a nod and for another minute she said nothing else.
"And what of the heart-shaped scar that mars your lips? And the swirls that surround it?"
Distant as she was from her emotions, the question caused Shikiyoku to blink, realizing that it was that particular scar which Mukuro had meant to inquire about all along.
"Those swirls seem akin to the dark ones your Consort wears across his profile. What do they mean?"
"The swirls are my mark upon him, his badge of honor and a testament to how deeply his loyalty to myself runs. They grant him my protection and connect us to one another."
"And why do you wear such scars in your other form?"
Shikiyoku's answer came after a delay, "Because I killed one such being who desired to hold the position. The markings that demon wore I now wear as an eternal reminder of my fault, and when those scars are upon my skin, they pain me just as deeply as they did the moment they were etched into my face."
Mukuro did not respond, though Shikiyoku felt as if the would-be King's teeth clenched together before she moved away.
Behind her, Shikiyoku heard Iketeru let out a low chuckle when Mukuro moved out of earshot.
Casting a questioning glance at him over her shoulder, she caught him watching Mukuro's retreating back before he met her gaze.
"You frustrate her." A sidelong grin pulled at one corner of his lips as he turned his attention back to the clipboard in his hands, tossing his brown hair to the side.
"And it's dreadfully amusing." Rikei added as he pushed his glasses further up his nose, purple eyes glimmering though unlike Iketeru he did not smile. "She does not understand and she cannot comprehend why she does not understand."
"Hn." Shikiyoku turned back to the front, crossing her arms over her chest. "Most demons cannot conceptualize what Gouka and I mean for each other, much less admit to there being stronger emotions in the world than their hatred and their rage."
"Indeed." While both of the demons behind her had turned to the calculations on the clipboards in their hands, they still answered her in unison, that same laughter still dancing across their countenances. 3
Two days had felt like two weeks in the midst of the troops, where Hiei continuously sauntered through, around, and between lines of fighters and checking their form, ensuring that they were indeed battle ready should the moment arise. Every so often, he would randomly thrust his sword at a demon, and either dismiss the one who reacted or thrust the one who did not into a small training circle.
He checked weapons.
He reorganized troops.
He kept demons in check and ensured that they were awake and aware.
All the while, he relayed messages to Mukuro when necessary, occasionally asking for any specific commands when he thought that she might have something more for him to do.
Even at night, the fire demon paced while others slept, keeping watch over the grounds and a careful eye on Yomi's troops at the edge of the territories. Waiting on something, anything to happen.
So on the day of the supposed announcement, Hiei hadn't stopped for even a minute. He paced around the lines of troops, red eyes scrutinizing every face and every weapon in sight. He gave out orders here and there, telepathically reminding the demons of their responsibilities and duties to their King as if it were actually necessary.
He didn't have time to spare a glance up to the top of the fortress anymore.
He didn't have time to search for the bond that linked him to Shikiyoku, even though there were moments where he so desired to do such a thing.
The only thing he had time for now was giving orders, rearranging troops, relaying messages to the Demon of Rage, and watching the other troops that Yomi had compiled together.
He hardly even had time to think.
~!**!~
Akari stood in the dead center of the foot soldiers, her countenance stony and unreadable even as others shifted with unease and anxiousness around her. Her eyes were glossed over, not really seeing the demons around her or registering much of anything on this layer, to be honest.
Her ears rang, and her core occasionally lurched with the feeling of another pack member falling ill. It was a feeling that haunted her every minute of every day, and something she no longer tried to escape. There was no way to ignore it, to shove the feeling away for a later moment, so why try?
She blinked once and the world around her came into focus, a demon passing in front of her and giving a look that said she'd been caught not paying attention. She'd only stared right back as he continued on, not really hearing what he was mumbling to the others as he went by.
Really, she didn't care about what happened next, because she would either die here- which would actually be a blissful escape-, survive and get on with what she'd been doing previously, or nothing at all would happen and they'd all go back to their respective territories and await another day to fight.
She wasn't sure which scenario she would prefer.
So she chose to remain standing amongst the fidgeting crowd, likely the only demon who didn't even so much as shift her weight around. *
~!**!~
"Of what are you thinking Kurama?"
"Nothing in particular, Yomi."
It was true enough.
Kurama let his eyes scan over the rest of the assembled troops, who had begun setting up a formation just at the edge of Yomi's territory in preparation for the "announcement" Yusuke had promised.
Kurama's position just outside of Yomi's tent afforded him the ability to see the entire encampment the army had within just a few days set up for themselves, and Yomi had emerged out from his tent to stand next to the fox demon whose red ponytail swayed in the Eighth Layer's wind.
Hands thrust deep inside the pockets of the white lab coat, Kurama took a deep breath of the air, separating all other scents from the one he sought: that of the seeds that were thrumming beneath his feet and out into the encampment, two even three seeds for every warrior present, and beating with a pulse that only Kurama could feel.
"Are you still set on telling me that you haven't the slightest idea what the son of Raizen is up to?"
"I make no claim to be able to read the Mazoku's mind, Yomi. He is...volatile. A wild card."
"Mm." Yomi chose once more to not press the issue. It had been the subject of choice between the two of them as of late and neither had satisfactorily felt closure between them in regards to it.
"The hour approaches should you wish to take your place."
"Of course. Why else would I reveal myself? I heard when Mukuro herself set foot atop her own fortress not two hours before this."
Kurama chose to say nothing more, only standing, waiting, feeling the movements of Jin and Touya, Chu and Shishiwakamaru and all the others whose energy signatures he recognized with ease as they took up their positions among the troops and kept glancing up to the rock where everyone had only the day before spotted Yusuke looking down at them all.
~!**!~
"Of what are you thinking, my son?"
Yusuke blinked, stirred from his thoughts by the approach of Raizen behind him, he and the rest of their court hidden in the trees surrounding the rock upon which Yusuke planned to climb in a few moments.
"At this exact moment?" Yusuke turned and cast a jaunty grin at his ancestral father. "Of Keiko."
"Ha!" Raizen's bark of a laugh resounded against the trunks of the trees and his retainers could not help but stand amused at their King's son. Raizen's smirk echoed the one across Yusuke's lips, their near-wicked expressions mirroring each other in such a way that were one to look from once fact to the other, it would be obvious the relation between the two.
Neither had to say anything in order for the other to know exactly what was on the first's mind.
"And is this something you often think upon in order to clear your mind?" Hokushin's amusement could be seen clearly by the lift of his eyebrows as he regarded Yusuke from behind Raizen.
"Mm, not particularly no. It's probably not helping things at all, actually."
Hokushin snorted, "Like father like son."
Raizen only grinned, "Succeed here and you'll get to see your woman soon enough, whelp."
"Yeah?" Yusuke appeared wistful for a moment, as if the statement reminded him just how long he had been away.
Raizen only nodded.
Yusuke let out a sigh, "Alright, let's get it over with, I suppose."
~!**!~
The restlessness of each individual present at the three corners quickly hushed itself when Yusuke Urameshi stepped into view atop the rock over their heads.
Each set of eyes assembled in every territory watched as Yusuke walked to the very edge of the cliff, Raizen a step or so behind him and the rest of their retainers stepping out of the trees and into view, spreading themselves out along the bottom of the cliff with apparent unconcern and no discernable militaristic formation.
"Is this thing on? Did you cast the spell?"
Yusuke's voice resounded over the three corners of the territories, able to be heard in the miles of land surrounding his position.
"Yes, of course. Get on with it."
Raizen's grumble behind him also echoed loudly enough for each and every ear to hear.
A moment of amusement passed over Kurama's mind, his face a confliction of emotions.
"People of Demon World! No wait. ... Demons of Demon World!"
Raizen smacked his hand up to his face and drew it down over his countenance in a gesture of exasperation.
Out in the midst of Yomi's troops, Jin sniggered, earning more than a few looks of annoyance from those around him.
"Ye' haven' changed a bit, have ye, Yusuke?" Chu outright laughed and took another swig of a drink. "And here we were a-thinkin' you'd gone and thought up somethin' smart or another."
"I know you seek to overthrow the ruler of the Ninth Layer, to take your place as King or to dissolve the world into anarchy. But I am here to tell you that the King is stronger than any of you, any one of you, by yourself."
Mutterings began to sweep through the gathered armies as Mukuro and Yomi looked on.
"If you truly seek to claim the throne for yourself then-"
The ground beneath them rumbled and Yusuke took a step back to catch himself as the crowds below him started looking around and at their feet as the entire area began to shake as if with an earthquake.
Those on top of the Mobile Fortress remained unaffected by the sudden jarring as the facility itself absorbed and redistributed the sensation throughout its systems.
Kurama widened his stance slightly, frowning as he felt the seeds under the earth begin feeding him information as to the source of the interruption.
This was no normal quake.
"What the hell?"
Raizen had dissolved the spell that allowed Yusuke's voice to carry, so only he heard the boy's exclamation even as the denizens of his territory made quick leaps up the cliffside to join their King.
At the place where the three territories met, the very air itself appeared to split open, a small crack in reality at first that spread like wildfire both up and down until a giant, ovular rift a mile high, extending farther up than even Yusuke stood atop the highest point in the area.
A deathly chilled pulse of energy radiated outwards from that center point as the dark opening grew larger, the power within said pulse forcing everyone in the area to take a knee or risk falling under the pressure of the extension, even the trees themselves bending dangerously backwards as any loose hair or clothing whipped backwards with the force of the event as the wind began to pick up fiercely as if in response to the disturbance on the air.
The rumble started up again, but somehow amongst the quaking a strange sort of voice rose in pitch, almost too low for those present to be able to hear.
Bow before your master, Death. Bow before my throne.
The darkness that covered the opening of the rift began to swirl, another shockwave pulsing through the ranks of the demons as lightning began to crackle across the dimensional portal and the rift flashed suddenly with a bright light, leaving those present cringing and blinking in the aftereffect.
Bow before the end of life and take it for your own.
The voice that spoke echoed with the pain of a legion's legion of souls, lost spirits who had never found their way beyond.
The swirl around the rift began to clear, the brightness suddenly eclipsed by the appearance of a being whose very aura felled those among the armies who were the weakest in strength, unable to withstand the absolute power that death could hold.
"I am Samhain. Lord of Coldness and Despair." This voice was the culmination of the others, containing within it the screams of injustice and hatred held by those spirits forced to wander between realms for eternity. "King of the Realm of the Dead. Master of the Broken Spirits."
Clearing further, the being began to take shape as a dreadfully majestic humanoid who appeared fused to the throne of bones upon which he sat, enormous enough that if he were to step out from the rift, he would easily crush the entire company of demons gathered there beneath a single foot.
"You who dare tread upon my Veil, who step inbetween the worlds of the living and the dead without cause, who mock my kingdom by returning to the other side unscathed: no longer."
The shrieks of the thousands of voices grew louder, perhaps grew closer as the rift finally stabilized with another massive pulse of power.
"You wish to walk within my walls while still wearing your flesh? If you are so anxious for death, then I shall bring death to you. I shall bring death to you all."
The wailing finally reached a climax and out from the rift came a rush like wind as the screams breached the opening.
Wherever the wind touched, demons collapsed before it, scores of them dropping to the ground, the ones closest to the rift who had not retreated any distance suddenly finding themselves dead before they knew what had happened.
Without hesitation, Kurama unleashed his demonic energy into the seeds beneath his feet, an instant later his own personal army of plant-beings bursting all at once from the ground among Yomi's army. In the next second, Kurama watched as his warriors appeared to begin fighting with nothing, and as he felt the blows and counter-blows being given and received, he himself felt nothing more than confusion as he could see nothing, and only hear the howling wind as it approached.
For a split second, Kurama blinked and suddenly saw a vision of decay and anguish hurtling towards him through the army, at the head of the gale and with a mouth open as if its voice was the one screaming.
But when his eyes came back open, he saw nothing other than the utter chaos of the army before him dissolving into skirmishes with beings they could not see.
In the next second, Kurama found his lab coat fluttering backwards in the draft of a blast of energy that contact with something just in front of his face, and when he glanced to his right, he saw Yomi frowning at something on the ground.
Looking towards his feet, Kurama saw for just an instant a being of indeterminate shape appear to become mere ashes upon the wind.
"Strange." Yomi commented as he lowered his hand back to his side. "These are the first things I have been able to see since you took my eyes from me, Kurama."
Yomi's ears twitched.
"They're quite disgusting." He turned to face the front and lifted his hand again, sending another blast of energy that most demons would not see until it impacted with what appeared to be solid air and consumed another shape whose shriek grew higher in pitch briefly as it collapsed to the ground and also became ashes swirling in the wind.
Following an instinct, Kurama closed his eyes intentionally this time, keeping them closed and finding that had they been opened, they would have widened considerably at the utter and complete pandemonium of the situation around him.
Somehow without his vision, Kurama was able to see the vengeful spirits of the long dead tearing through the forces of both Yomi and Mukuro, the screeching wind actually their voices as they ripped the unsuspecting demons in front of them to pieces.
Kurama shot forward and began shouting orders to the troops as he used his other senses to dodge between the living demons whom he could not now see, extending a pair of thorn covered whips-one from each hand-and beginning to lash out at the spirits he darted passed which appeared just as susceptible to physical attack as anyone.
He continued relaying orders to the plant army under his direct command with his energy, fighting a million battles at once as he rushed through the encampment and demanded that the others around him close their eyes and fight.
~!**!~
Atop the Mobile Fortress, Mukuro watched with almost uncaring eyes as scores of demons dropped to the ground left and right under the initial sweep of this "Samhain's" energy.
Of course she was also buffeted by his power, and his aura was one whose equal she had never felt.
She suspected it exceeded her own.
But Samhain did not appear to wish to leave his Realm, his place between the worlds that Mukuro quickly realized the layer-walkers had been using, trespassing across, in order to traverse New Human World. And because he did not leave his place on the other side of the dimensional rift, Mukuro did not leave her place upon the fortress, finding herself momentarily contented with analyzing the absolute anarchy before her through the A.I. to which she remained connected.
In truth, the anarchy pleased her on some level. However, the encroaching thought that Yusuke's parlay had been interrupted by this...this "King" had the pit of her stomach stirring with an emotion she had not for a long time allowed herself access to.
He seeks to overtake New Human World, self.-
Using the differing optics of the fortress, Mukuro was able to calibrate her own robotic eye to allow her to see what she assumed were the souls of the long dead that were making quick work slashing through both her and Yomi's troops.
It took only a millisecond for Mukuro to relay to Gouka that the beings with which he fought would only be visible to him if he closed his eyes. And only a millisecond after that for her to inform the rest of her troops of the same discovery.
The fighting on her side of the three territories very quickly took a turn for the better in regard to those on the living side.
A huff of air escaped her nose and she crossed her arms over her chest as she truly took note of what the fortress had told her.
Just like Yomi.
The thought of her rival had Mukuro's eyes darting to the other territory in time to see Yomi dashing forward and disappearing to the average eye as he began slicing almost gleefully through the undead troops assaulting him.
"Arise. All those who have fallen under the might of the Ruler of the Dead, I say: arise."
As she allowed her focus to pull back to the entirety of the chaotic scene before her, Mukuro frowned as her position this high allowed her to watch as those demons who had fallen to either the strength of the aura of Samhain or dropped to the surprise attack of the first wave of the dead got up.
The rest of the demons present watched in horror as those around them who had once laid dead on the ground turned towards those still living with hollow eyes that began to faintly assume a blue glow, empty gazes expressing nothing as they immediately took to battling the ones who had been on their side.
That's...an interesting turn of events.
The A.I. also drew her attention to the ashes that were floating on the wind, the remains of those souls whom the fighters below had managed to destroy.
As Mukuro watched, groups of ashes fluttered downwards together despite the strength of the wind, and the pieces coalesced to form the spirits of those what had already been torn apart. Their howls pierced the air as the multitude of souls pulled themselves together at their Master's call and once more began to fight.
How amusing.
Mukuro scowled.
How irritating.
The fortress finished its analysis of the beings fighting below and Mukuro downloaded it in the next instant as she jerked the cords from her arm with as much restraint as she could manage, a dangerous spark beginning to swirl behind her eye as she began to sink further into the familiar sensation that quickly consumed her every thought.
She flashed her gaze towards the rift, towards the being who awaited just beyond the open portal.
You are mine.
Mukuro dropped off the side of the fortress, her energy beginning to seep into the air around her as she fell through the air and landed with a slam onto the ground below, the impact rocking hundreds of nearby risen dead off their feet and the following fluctuation of her energy causing them to disappear altogether, not even ash being left behind as she bolted forward into the fray. 3
Hiei, who had been waiting for the moment where the former Spirit Detective to show himself, had turned and stilled to look up at his former ally in expectation. And as silence ensued for a few moments, the fire demon had the thought of how composed Yusuke looked atop that rock, where he was the one in control and where he was the one who called the shots.
It had Hiei thinking back on the conversation he and Shikiyoku had had, where the two of them had agreed that he'd changed much since their last meeting with the boy.
…
That is, until Yusuke opened his mouth.
The entire image of the Mozuku having matured since meeting Raizen shattered, replaced by the image of the Yusuke that Hiei had met a long time ago. The immature, impulsive, snarky human boy that apparently survived the Mozuku blood running through the half-demon's veins.
You haven't changed a bit, Detective.
Around him, mumbles began to be voiced, the demons that had previously been silently awaiting the important announcement now doubting the demon atop the rock. Doubting that he was sane, that he really was as capable as the rumors had said over the past few months.
To be truthful, Hiei was rather thankful that this was still the Yusuke he had known and trusted. And he was quite curious as to what else he had to say.
Even as he was turning a silencing glare to the demons around him, the fire demon began to feel the beginnings of the shaking of the earth below his feet. And when the quake became greater, grew stronger, even he had to shift his weight to remain standing, his brows furrowing and his eyes moving up at the rock that Yusuke stood upon.
And the shock he could see on Yusuke's face even from this distance was all the answer he needed, so his eyes turned to scanning his surroundings for the source.
His hand was on his katana the moment that he saw the opening rift in the layers, the Jagan quickly focusing on it as well and giving him a very quick warning of the energy that would have knocked him back had he not taken the precautionary measures of crouching lower to the ground.
His ears rang with the voice that screeched into the air, and his head throbbed at the immense power that washed over his skin and caused a mass amount of troops around him to fall lifeless to the ground. His eyes remained on the chasm, however, waiting for something to come through as it had done the last time he'd seen a rift like this.
Instead, he found his body taking a step to the right and his arm bringing up his blade to block an unforeseen attack that his instincts had warned him of, and then another after that, until he was unable to stay still without the feeling of being attacked from a new angle.
Confusion dominated his countenance with drawn eyebrows and searching eyes for the unseen enemy, looking for that which attacked him and yet not finding it even as he had to make another swipe of his sword to block it.
Only when Mukuro implanted a single thought into his head did he understand. Only than did he close his eyes and actually see the undead creature charging at him with raised claws and deadly intent alive in its otherwise lifeless being.
Without a moment's hesitation, the fire demon began an attack of his own, repeating the command to everyone his telepathy could reach to close their eyes and fight, including Yusuke and Shikiyoku, if they so happened to be listening at the moment.
And he began to make his own path of ashes through the mob, taking very keen note of his own fallen soldiers rising again to fight against those who still lived, and making a point to cut them down as he passed.
And he wasted no time in calling the dragon forth to join him in battle.
~!**!~
It had been something of a shock to actually see Yusuke atop the rock, which made her realize that she'd forgotten about a lot of things these days. And yet, she didn't actually seem to think much about the former detective as he spoke, other than a simple "It's good to see you again".
The thought passed however, leaving the dog demon empty and focused on only what was going on inside her at the moment, of the war that was her pack members on the fourth layer calling for her, falling ill, or simply broadcasting their own pain and suffering.
So she didn't really notice the ground shaking until she was one of the demons on the ground, confused and blinking up at the sky overhead as if it offended her in some way. She blinked only once before she lifted her head to see demons around her losing their lives to the immense amount of power that washed over them, chilling her to her core and raising every hair on the back of her neck and her arms.
She blinked once more in realization, remembering the only other time she had felt energy like this and knowing absolutely that there was no mistaking who it was now attacking the demon world.
It made her blood run cold to recall the being she'd run into before, to remember the brush with death she'd had and the nightmares that had followed after said brush with death.
She couldn't breathe.
She couldn't think.
She couldn't move.
Hadn't she once told someone that this was a possibility? That not a single soul would survive should this being be brought to this land?
It didn't matter. That being was gone now, no longer important to her. The only thing that mattered now was escaping. Was finding her way back to her pack and seeking refuge for as long as she could, even if she knew it would be futile.
So she stood.
I have a pack to protect.
Her eyes looked to the rift in the world and found that she stared at the very being she feared most, the very being she'd somehow escaped from. Her breath hitched, and she readied to move through the layers.
But the demon next to her did not escape her vision as he ran past, doing just as she'd been about to do only to fall lifeless before he'd even managed to disappear from her sight.
It struck her that the inbetween was his domain.
That she'd been dancing with the being of "Samhain" since the beginning of the combined worlds.
It only took seconds for all of this to happen, for all of those thoughts to pass by her mind and the realizations to strike her to the core, but to her it felt an eternity.
So she didn't realize she'd been attacked until she fell backwards a second time, her eyes only focusing again on the sickly looking creature that sat atop her with glowing eyes and sharp teeth, wailing and screeching at her in unison with the voices that rang with Samhain's.
Only by instinct did she dodge the blow to her head, and only by the same life-preserving instinct did she attack back and send the being into ashes that floated on the wind.
Get up.
Akari moved, robotically standing to her feet.
Fight.
She blinked once, the image of her pack members flashing before her eyes and strengthening her resolve, giving her motivation to launch forward and into the closest being that ran at her.
And only the ones that engaged with her did she fight, not bothering to attempt and spare another's life.
Because only her own would help her pack. And they were all she had at this point.
They need me. *
Thanks for reading! Bless your face. If you sneezed during this chapter, bless you. Peace off!